


Damaged Girl, Broken Boy

by WhimsyAndMalice



Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: F/M, Recovery, Therapy
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-02-13
Updated: 2020-02-13
Packaged: 2021-02-28 03:27:41
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 920
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22686970
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/WhimsyAndMalice/pseuds/WhimsyAndMalice
Summary: Two unlikely people find each other in an unlikely place. Can they find common ground and healing in each other?
Relationships: Lavender Brown/Theodore Nott
Comments: 13
Kudos: 7
Collections: Love Fest 2020





	Damaged Girl, Broken Boy

**Author's Note:**

  * For [InDreams](https://archiveofourown.org/users/InDreams/gifts).



He swallowed hard and faced the group of people that were in the room with him, sitting on the same uncomfortable wooden chairs.

"Hi, my name is Theo and I'm a survivor."

He was met with a chorus of "Hi Theo's" from everyone except a shy looking blonde girl sitting in the very back of the room with her hair covering most of her face.

"It's been nearly four years since the battle and I still get shunned from any places and events with people who used to be my friends. It's been that long and the people I betrayed my house to save still won't have anything to do with me. After everything and all this time, I'm still alone." He sighed raggedly, "I'm done."

The group leader thanked and patted Theo on the back as he stood and went back to his seat.

"Does anyone else have anything to share today?"

When no one spoke up, the group leader dismissed them all to enjoy the coffee and tea that always followed a meeting. Theo made his way over to the table where the coffee was and poured himself a cup of steaming hot black coffee. He turned to go sit at one of the tables while he sipped on his beverage but he ran into that same blonde that had been sitting in the back of the room. His coffee splashed all over his dark green jumper and he jumped back, cursing. As he was trying to mop up the spill on his chest, he heard a quietly spoken "Evanesco". He looked up to thank the girl but was shocked to see a face he had never thought to see again.

Lavender Brown stared at Theo Nott, taking in the shadows under his eyes and the haunted look on his face. Realising that she had been staring, she blushed and lowered her head, allowing her thick blonde hair to cover most of her face once again.

"Hello Theo, it's certainly been a while."

Theo shook off his shock and set his cup down. "It really has, hasn't it? I would ask how you've been but you're here just like me so I would gather your answer is something akin to not great."

Lavender smiled wryly.

"Not great would be an understatement, ever since the final battle, I've been struggling to make ends meet because no one wants to hire a werewolf."

Theo frowned,

"I thought the attack hadn't infected you? Or at least that's what I was told after the battle?"

Lavender scoffed,

"I wasn't but with the scars that that bastard Greyback left I might as well be one for all anyone else cares. All anyone sees of me is the marks on my face and on the odd chance that I manage to get anyone to my bed, they get scared off by all of the other scars." She stopped and stared at the ground once more, "I'm sorry, I must sound pathetic."

Theo laughed, the sound completely devoid of mirth.

"Not at all, I have my own set of reasons for why I'm here as you heard. I sacrificed everything to help the so called Golden Trio when they were cornered by Death Eaters in Hogwarts but all anyone in my old circle sees is the turncoat Slytherin who couldn't be trusted to stay loyal to his own house."

She looked up at him, "It looks like we are quite the pair eh Nott?"

The ghost of a real grin graced his face,

"I suppose we are Brown, I suppose we are."

Lavender cast a quick tempus charm and was shocked to see how late it was.

"Oh I'm so sorry Theo, I have to go. Mr. Ollivander has been paying me to organise his stock room and he is very particular about my being on time."

Lavender made to leave when she felt a hand on her shoulder.

"Wait Lavender."

She turned and looked at him,

"Yes Theo?

He swallowed hard before answering her, suddenly nervous about speaking.

"I would, I mean if you want to that is, we could get a coffee or lunch or something at some point and talk more?"

Lavender smiled shyly,

"I would like that Theo but maybe another time. I really do have to go."

With that the girl left, leaving Theo staring after her. He was intrigued by her but he didn't know if a girl like her would ever want to have anything to do with a broken boy like him.

Later, after Lavender had finished her work at Ollivanders, she went back to the cramped studio that she was renting and sat on her narrow bed. Her day had been a strange one, starting with running into her old schoolmate Theo Nott and ending with Ollivander being nicer to her than he normally was by not only paying her for her shift on time but giving her extra for her dinner as well. In spite of that bit of strangeness, Lavender's thoughts kept drifting back to her encounter with Theo. She didn't know what it was about him but she felt some sort of connection with him, a connection that she would love to explore but she doubted that someone like him would want a damaged girl like her.

She went about the rest of her night with the same thoughts running around in her head, the hope that she would be able to see him again settled firmly in the front of her mind


End file.
